Chapter 153 Strange
Just as he finished speaking and was about to walk into the greenhouse, his nose suddenly twitched.
Tu Yao muttered casually, "Such a strong sandalwood scent."
Cormier shrugged. "That Buddhist Jiang Peng has believed in for over ten years, it's probably emanating from him."
“He also sends Buddhist scriptures to his aunt every year.”
Is he a Buddhist?
Tu Yao turned around and took another look at the man who had already walked away.
He said "Oh".
He is a Buddhist, has a kind and benevolent face, and even gives away Buddhist scriptures.
Tu Yao sighed and muttered softly, "Then I'll make a few more bunches."
Cormier: ? ? ?
That evening, Madam Jiang noticed five extra vases on the dining table, all filled with flowers.
Tu Yao buried her head in eating the pastries, praising them enthusiastically: "Delicious, Madam! Yours are much better than mine!"
Madam Jiang glanced at the flowers and asked with a smile, "Why are there so many flowers?"
Tu Yao remained silent and continued eating.
The old lady asked with a smile, "Are you worried about me?"
She was surrounded by wolves and tigers, and by chance, she spotted the most formidable one.
Tu Yao sighed helplessly, "How come you know everything just like Xiao Chi?"
He knows everything, yet he still asks her questions every time.
Tu Yao couldn't help but sigh, "...I know he's not a good person, he's just pretending to be kind."
He holds a high position and is a leader among his peers, but he has always been very indulgent.
If she remembered correctly, his son was the most vocal of the three children.
Madam Jiang couldn't help but laugh. Jiang Peng, like a clumsy actor, was trying his best to put on a kind and benevolent act for her.
But in this child's eyes, he had seen through his true colors from the very first meeting.
Tu Yao picked up another piece of osmanthus cake with her chopsticks, then hesitated for a moment.
Although Madam Jiang was certain she could have guessed, she couldn't help but remind her, "So, Madam, you must be even more careful now."
"It seems he sees me as the successor you have chosen, which is why he came to test me. According to procedure, if the test fails, he will get angry."
"People like you seem to like to solve problems at their root. If you push them too far, you might be in danger."
Madam Jiang's smile deepened, a hint of cunning flashing in her aged eyes.
"...Isn't that a great idea?"
Tu Yao was taken aback.
“Jiang Peng is a capable person, but he cannot stay on the board of directors.”
"He is wicked, greedy, and good at disguising himself; he is a menace."
Once he is removed, the board structure will be very stable, and even if she cannot find a suitable, willing successor for the time being, it can barely last for several decades.
Even if she is gone in the decades to come, there will always be someone who is intelligent and willing to take on all of this.
In an instant, Tu Yao understood something.
She put down the half-eaten osmanthus cake and said seriously, "Are you planning to deliberately provoke them into taking a risky move and attacking you?"
"Are you prepared to risk your life as a reason to retaliate against them?"
A familiar look of admiration welled up in Madam Jiang's eyes: "Truly perceptive."
She was planning to do that.
“I’m too old to investigate them, so I might as well settle this once and for all.”
This method saves time and effort, and she used it when she was young because she valued convenience.
Madam Jiang recalled the past with a hint of pride. Back then, she was even bolder than she is now, having been kidnapped three times in two months and then killing them all.
Through these "accidents" resulting from such leniency, they managed to deal with quite a few people.
In those days, she truly fought her way out of danger.
Unfortunately, she only dared to use it secretly afterward because her husband was an extremely perceptive person who could always catch her.
As soon as he caught her, he started yelling at her without saying a word, just staring straight at her, making her feel uneasy.
Later, as more and more people became concerned about her, she dared not do it anymore.
Madam Jiang pondered to herself, "Now that the old man is gone, no one's yelling at me anymore, which is perfect..."
But halfway through my thought, I suddenly felt a chill down my back.
She subconsciously turned her head and saw Tu Yao staring at her with extreme seriousness across from her.
The girl's body was tense as she leaned forward, her bright eyes blazing with intense anger, like a burning fire.
The old lady's expression froze instantly.
This child is just like that old man...
Tu Yao was so angry that her eyes were almost red. After a long while, she finally managed to choke out, "Madam, you're doing something wrong!"
Madam Jiang's eyes flickered, and she subconsciously tucked her temples behind her ear.
"...How is it wrong?"
His tone inexplicably carried a hint of guilt.
Cormier, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, came downstairs and stumbled upon this scene.
"Hey, Auntie, you made her angry!"
The old lady waved her hand: "Go away, go away!"
Cormier burst into laughter: "Auntie, wouldn't you say you're just embarrassed and angry?"
At the dinner table, Tu Yao was still glaring at her angrily.
The old lady hadn't coaxed a child in so many years that she was at a loss.
"this……"
She turned to him for help: "Liqing?"
The butler shook his head helplessly.
Before she could even ask Cormier, he waved his hand and said, "Don't look at me, Auntie, I don't have any children, and whoever caused the trouble has to comfort them."
The skill of soothing a child is still too difficult for this widowed family.
Madam Jiang sighed and walked over to sit down next to Tu Yao.
“Little Mao, I’ve never made a mistake in my life. I used to do this all the time when I was young.”
Tu Yao looked at her intently: "Why did you stop later? Was it because there were people who, even knowing how capable you were, would still worry about you?"
"Why do you do this now? Is it because you feel that the people who were worried about you are no longer here, so you can go and take risks without worry?"
Madam Jiang was speechless for a moment.
The butler and Cormier across the way exchanged a glance. Cormier sighed, and his eyes, which had just been iced, couldn't help but redden again.
Madam Jiang opened her mouth, as if to say something.
But the next second.
"If I'm worried, could you please not do this?"
Madam Jiang was taken aback.
Tu Yao pursed her lips and lowered her eyes. "I know you're very capable, but I'm still worried."
"So, is there another way?"
"Or would you like to hear my suggestion?"
...
Tu Yao continued speaking on her own.
"They all fear you because you are strong, so they are always on edge and careful not to give themselves away."
"But what if you become weak?"
"Only when you appear weak will they lower their guard and expose more of your problems."
Is this correct?
...
After Tu Yao finished speaking, there was no response from the other side for a long time.
She couldn't help but look up and saw that across from her, Madam Jiang was quietly watching her, revealing an aged and tired expression for the first time.
The next second, tears suddenly fell.
Tu Yao was startled and immediately panicked, quickly standing up!
"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be mean to you!"
"I know! You're used to a head-on approach, so you definitely don't like this method."
"I...please don't cry. If you don't like this method, I'll think of something else for you..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old lady slowly waved her hand.
Her withered hand couldn't help but grasp the girl's outstretched wrist, which was equally thin.
He couldn't speak for a long time.
In the dead of night, the garden hall was always quiet, and at this time, Madam Jiang always felt that time was lonely and long.
She is someone who has been wronged by time; fate has left her with very little.
But at that moment, she grasped a pair of warm hands that reached out to her.
Although it is immature and thin, it is truly burning hot.
After a moment, she turned her head and said with a faint smile, "...Liqing, please ask Dr. Hu."
Tu Yao was taken aback.
The butler, his eyes red, immediately bowed.
The old lady was decisive and efficient her whole life, and never thought of taking a step back to advance.
Even though he was worried, he was used to obeying.
I never imagined that one day I would see the old lady back down.
He couldn't help but look at Tu Yao.
For the first time, I thought, "I wish I could really snatch this child away."
...
The next morning, the Chiang family members all received the same message.
"I just received news that Hu Sikang went to the garden late last night."
Hu Sikang, the old lady's private doctor.
"So what if I went? I already asked someone at the garden center, and they said it's the same as before, just a common cold."
For decades, members of the Chiang family have been ousted from the board of directors one by one, filled with resentment and anger, yet also fearful of Madam Chiang's methods.
So we can only hope that she will grow old and frail one day.
But almost every time, I was greatly disappointed.
"The old lady is as healthy as if she ate a peach from the heavens. Sometimes I feel like I'll die before her, ptooey ptooey ptooey..."
"That's right, the old lady is too lucky. Just the other day, the third brother said that the fate of Jiang Fengchun's family was all thanks to the old lady."
"How strange, it was supposed to be a sunny day, but suddenly it started pouring rain."
"Tch, now he's getting his comeuppance."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Peng's eyes flickered slightly, and he murmured, "Strange..." as if he had thought of something.
"Everywhere is strange..."
He couldn't help but flick the prayer beads on his wrist.
Just then, his phone rang, and Jiang Peng snapped back to reality, only to find a cold sweat running down his back.
He forced back his kind and benevolent expression, answered the call, and then hung up, his expression becoming even more serious.
A group of people looked over: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Peng paused for a moment, then said, "...The old lady has rearranged the seating chart. Not only will Tu Xiaomao attend the auction, but he has also been seated next to the old lady."
Upon hearing this, the group was instantly startled!
"What is the old lady trying to do? Wasn't the seat next to her reserved for that foreigner Cormier in previous years?"
"This little village girl, Jiang Liqing personally cleared the way to pick her up, made her accompany him alone, and now even arranged a special seat for her, has she gone mad!"
"etc!"
Just then, someone suddenly noticed something was wrong.
"...If it's not madness, is it illness?"
The entire room fell silent for a moment before someone finally spoke.
"...Don't you find it strange? The old lady is always scheming, either taking her time or swiftly and decisively outmaneuvering people. She's never been in such a hurry before."
What's she in such a hurry for?
"You mean... the old lady is really going to die this time?!"
"You said it yourself, the old lady is full of schemes. What if she's plotting something again?"
Jiang Peng's expression was gentle. "We'll know what happened tomorrow, won't we?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
